Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-27
NEW YORK NEWS.
o,,rTHr AND suLIIvAS's "RuDpI-
eoREr A FAILURE IN FEW YORK.
Urce.Control" in Metropolis-ere
Men aEdwesk Wills Hospital
Founders, &c.
roo,rcspondenoc Of Tho Richmond D'pasch'l
Nr,e YopK. February 20, 1887.

audience was exhibited in every posi-
bl, way. ,...
The complications preceding It's pro-
Jnciiop illustrate The vCxGtious and an
moving character ol theatrical manage
,n.ii Mr.. StCtsop, OF the llith-Ave-
nuc Theatre. paid mttlng big sum
fo1 the privilege OF producing tuddi-
COZ last autumn. Gilbert and Snlh-
xor s,id that the opera would be ready
Nv October isi. and Mr. StetSon re-
f,s,a to allow any travelling combina-
t;o, io rcut his theatre after that date.
D,,v succeeded delay until last Mon
Goy when the opera was finally pro
Jnc.J Meanwhile Mr.. Stetson plm
opo,,pops salaries to oil the people an
bis op.ra company from the dat oi
4hcir engagement IN October. t.s
los. cs have been tremendous. WITH all
This money gone and Int the tail end
Of the season 10 play to, 1t can be read
ilv imagined that he watched the pro
duciion of 4" i,uddigore with some
thine akin TO anxiety.
n has been said. after the production
a. every one of Gilbert and Sullivan s
op,ras. that the famous "ofQbOT0fcurs
L9o written themselves out This was
,bc CIV particularly after "io.anthe,
snd vet the freshness, novelty, and
Ieegiv of "Ihe Mikado gave the he
direct 10 the assertion. Gilbert and
Sullivan have not written themselves
On, l,y any means. but they are human,
"nJ ioblc nj times 90 drop into the
COMMONPLACE. The commonplace is
1rc,;-slv what charactcriZes "Ruidi-
~. Mr. Gilbert wrote the opera
T;tl fhc intention of making it skit
Cr.,iirr ON the conventional English
uc'odmma. ia which there is a virtuous
7noiI.r. d sailor lover, wicked barO-
ut and q tenlcr-hcarted old man. He
Ia taken nll the well-known types.
et,rpo thcm along through a story that
= r.itLor clever nor interesting, and
written tbc regulation number of songs.
Th,rc are none OF the ingenious little
Iorus I'M the verse like "Ihe sentiment
ial passion Of vegetable fashion i'll
UIaticncc." or There's n fascination
frantic IN "a ruin that is romantic in
9Th, Milado." About the most catch
iue hing Is
THE PATTER SONG
in tlc second act, and the best verse
coc- as follows:
'If ilai boon so lucky as 10 have steady
brother.
WHO could ialk 10 me "a we are talking now
ttonc another
W., could give ne good advice when he dis
a aaHI rnHr
tv 1ich is just the very favor which on you
.T cOufcrfiugl
~ cory would hayo made a rather interest
.rr idyil.
A.. might hAvo lived and died very do
cent mdiwiddIe.
This particularly rapid, uuintelliglble patter.
l.lt generally heard, and II 1t Is II doesn't
matter
When il is understood that this is the
NOS, catching and popular verse of the
opG. judging solely from the APP
plmt, Of the audience. IT will be seen
flat Mr. Gilbert is far below his stand
ard
There was n notable audience in the
Tifth-Aycnuc ] Theatre tousher the opera
IN. Nearly everybody at all prominent
in Tire professions or in society or bust
hes was there, and the reception eX-
tended to the principal performers was
enthusiastic and cordial TO the last de-
gree. The company IS the one which
PLAYED the "Alikado here nearly all
last wear, and as the familiar faces APP
reared on t! q stage round after round
uf applause greeted them. But as the
Upeu progressed the applause dwindled
away, finally giving place to half sullen
indifference. Toward the end of the
opcra the people arose in the house
and pulled on their oyercoats before
the curtain had come down. This IS
81 awful omen.
Tie costumes were gorgeous, the
Scenery admirable. and the company of
Bic conventional fashion. 1t IS just
POSSIBLE that a rollicking troupe of
American comedians could make II sue
cess az "Iuddigore " 10y making a
strong GulesQue of the melodramatic
t.atu but as it stands now 1t is con-
d,mu,l as the least interesting and en-
i.nsu.ng Of Gilbert and Sullivan's
works
ID is but fair to say Of the music that
81 il OF o. HIGHER character than any
thing that Sullivan has heretofore writ
Zen. and though this very fact rebounds
g. the credit a one of the most con-
scicntims and thorough musicians and
composers Of the day, 1t still contributes
its share towards the failure of the Ope-
IN, because tho music is above the heads
OF Tie people.
MN AID THEIR MANNERS.
Ilcptatcst secret of enjoying exist
Cncc il TINS city Is that one must be alb
solut, lv the master of his own eyes.
Queer idea, ch Is not every one
master Of them No, indeed and to
Ie So De- the constant aim of every man
and Woman who comes here to stay, as
well o.. % host of the natives. "Hungry
doe the arch confidence operator,
nsed TO say that he could distinguish a
stranger hy his hat or shoes. The idea
that these b,tray men is 50 deep-rooted
that many strangers always buy New
York hats and shoes as soon as they ar
uyc, willie others who expect TO come
often 10 town order these wcarables
from city shops. But You can get cor
rect hats and shoes in any large city,
and you can get of styles IN the Bow
cry.
Besides, some OF our best known
citizens lack the metropolitan stamp.
Elbrilgc Y. Gerry, commodore, yachts
man, and president of great retorma-
tory society, looks ike Jersey farmer
In the fur cap he wears, even IN the
warncst weather. George Francis
Train has tanned his skin like Texan,
and has the general air of man from
"a new community. Joseph Keppler,
the caricatUrist, appears 10 have come
fresh from Germany on one day and
from spain on the nexA 80 oddly does
hc attire himself Ex-Mayor Edison
always looks like Iaan escaping from
tie cares OF a busy country grocery.
Perry Belmont looks like a gentleman
farmer immersed in country life, and
nobody who sees Stephen V. White, the
millionaire broker and congressman,
with his full beard, bent form, and mat
ttntion to dress, can trace ~ his ap-
pcaranco any close connection with the
typical aspect Of "a Gothamite. Cyrus
W. Field is another countryman, born
and perpetual, while Governor DAVID
b. Hill who is IN Elmira mani can't
be told from New Yorker by anything
n..uLV L